Survey opened on Wednesday 7/29/2020 and closed on Friday 8/7/2020

roulhacenterprises.com

Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 1 SURVEY OBJECTIVES / DESIGN...... 2 DATA COLLECTED...... 2 RESULTS...... 3 DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSIONS ...... 6 DISCLOSURE ...... 8 APPENDIX A: Baseline Survey ...... APPENDIX B: Hybrid Model …...... APPENDIX C: Survey Demographics ......

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Enrollment by District/Grade for the School Year 2019-20, as October 1, 2019 was reported to be 948,828 students. There are 53,094 students in the Public Schools, the Commonwealth’s largest district. There are 25,044 students in the and 25,007 students in the Springfield Public Schools. Students who identify themselves as African American or Hispanic represent the highest populations in these regions as well, 89.4% in Springfield, 72.4% in Boston and 60% in Worcester, respectively.

Reopening schools prematurely in the Commonwealth will impact the African American and Hispanic communities disproportionately, due to the increased rate of coronavirus infection. As of Friday August 7, 2020, there have been at least 120,291 positive cases and 8,709 deaths in Massachusetts as a result of COVID19. In the absence of a vaccine, the threat to public health is imminent for those who do not practice safety protocols suggested by the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) to wear face coverings and remain six feet apart among other recommendations. To address the need for all stakeholders to be heard, informing investment over the long-term, Roulhac Enterprises and partners employed this survey as a cost-effective way to assure that the student voice is not absent from the discussion to reopen schools.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESSE) and local school districts are exploring strategies that include remote, in-school and hybrid learning environments to respond to this public health concern. This survey was conducted from July 29, 2020 through August 7, 2020 and exceeded the minimum number of participants recommended for large populations. Surveys are used to increase knowledge in fields such as social research and demography. Survey research is often used to assess thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Our goal was simply to gather qualitative and social emotional feedback from high school students about school reopening amid the coronavirus in Massachusetts. Results of this survey should inform strategies and mechanisms for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and local school districts alike.

Survey questions were developed from the core principles of Social Emotional Learning outlined by the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts (SEL4MA), including but not limited to self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, responsible decision making and relationship skills.

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Industry workgroup consists of Roulhac Enterprises, GetPsychedSports, Massachusetts students, classroom educators and school administrators.

Student population statistics are from the School and District Profile page of the Massachusetts Department Elementary and Secondary Education. (profiles.doe.mass.edu)

Coronavirus statistics are from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/massachusetts/massachusetts)

SURVEY OBJECTIVES / DESIGN Roulhac Enterprises recognized the need to better understand the extent to which the reopening of school discussion impacted students. With the assistance of a small industry workgroup, a survey was developed to answer the following questions: 1. How worried are you about the impact of coronavirus on you personally? 2. How worried are you about the impact of coronavirus on school? 3. How easy or difficult is it for you to work from home? 4. What are the TOP THREE biggest challenges you are currently facing while working remotely? 5. Thinking about your current remote learning arrangements, how long is this something you could comfortably maintain? 6. How confident are you in your school district's leadership team to make the right decisions to manage through this crisis? 7. What school district is your school in? The survey consisted of seven questions. (See Appendix A) It was kept broad and short to increase the likelihood of participation. Survey marketing targeted high school aged students and parents of high school students. It was distributed through email on record with Roulhac Enterprises and partnering organizations and social media channels.

DATA COLLECTED A total of 158 participants completed the survey. The tables below display survey questions and results. The results presented here represent responses from each participant. Not all responses could be captured in the results, due to inconsistencies with the format of some of the responses. For example, open-ended questions provided a wide variety of responses, some that were unable to be categorized due to analytical limitations. Small differences in the responses such as capitalization, spacing, and spelling made some of the responses difficult to group.

QUESTIONS / RESULTS

DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSIONS The baseline survey results provide useful knowledge regarding student sentiment about the reopening of schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The results indicate that they do not want to return to school, do not have adequate equipment to work remotely, are concerned about fatigue, but are confident in school districts leadership to make an informed decision. On Friday August 7, 2020, Governor Baker signed an updated gathering order, effective Tuesday, August 11, announcing new initiatives to stop the spread of COVID-19. The order will reduce the limit on outdoor gatherings from 100 to 50 people (indoor gatherings limit will remain at 25 people). These limits apply to all types of gatherings, on both public and private property. They require face coverings where more than 10 people from different households will be mixing. Additionally, step two of phase III of the Commonwealth’s reopening plan has been postponed indefinitely. Each phase was projected to last a minimum of three weeks. The findings of this survey, coupled with recent announcement from the Governor’s office, encourage Roulhac Enterprises to promote a remote learning start to the school year, a re-evaluation in December 2020 for a January 2021 return to school in a hybrid model, with guidelines including but not limited to social distancing. The survey completion rate exceeded seventy-five percent (75%). In the timespan of ten days, it had a reach of over 3,000 individuals and over 300 engagements, with 158 individuals completing the survey. Researchers regard 100 participants as the minimum sample size when ​ the population is large. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of those who engaged with the survey were ​ women and thirty-two percent (32%) were men. Over ninety-five percent (95%) of survey takers took it on a mobile device while less than five percent (4.1%) used a desktop computer. Survey takers represented school districts as far east as Boston, MA and as far west as West Springfield, MA. All survey takers were students and residents of Massachusetts. The survey results indicate that seventy-five percent (75%) of students are personally concerned with the impact of the coronavirus. Maintaining a safe home environment and a lack of access to coronavirus testing resources are examples of personal concerns students are having to navigate. Many students live in multi-generational homes. This dynamic, often indicative of environments with lacking resources, creates a heightened concern for the adherence to safety protocols. Public and private organizations are testing in many places throughout the Commonwealth. Lacking resources may lead to a shortage of medical supplies or PPE in the home. Access to rapid testing, which impacts the ability for health care professionals to perform contact tracing, is not readily available according to health care professionals in high impact communities. Contact tracing allows for the virus to be contained better, preventing spread. The inability to ensure rapid testing in high impact communities will make it difficult to advance in the Commonwealth’s phased approach to reopening.

Eighty-seven percent (87%) of students are concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on school. Governor Baker’s office has given school superintendents the responsibility of creating a school reopening plan for their individual district. School districts are relying on the leadership from the Governor and local health care officials to determine how and when to reopen schools. The coronavirus virus waits for neither of them. Health experts are clear that this strain of the coronavirus is not fully understood. It will take research for years beyond the eradication of this current pandemic to understand the damage caused. School districts across the country who have made the decision to reopen prematurely have been met with spikes in the contraction of the coronavirus. CNN reported on August 7, 2020 that a school district in Georgia has decided to start the year remotely due to 90 staff members recently being forced to quarantine. The Governor's recent announcement makes it unlikely that schools will attempt to reopen in a full in- school model, due to districts inability to adequately distance.. The survey results indicate that eighty-seven percent (87%) of students felt as if keeping a regular schedule was one of the three biggest challenges they face working remotely, forty-five percent (45%) indicated social isolation and forty-four percent (44%) indicated too many distractions at home. A social emotional approach is recommended to best leverage relationship building and support services to engage student learning. Time devoted to helping students to plan and set goals will be time well spent. Helping them to set a schedule to navigate this new environment and creating opportunities for them to be creative will allow for students to envision what the next steps will be when things return to normal. Considerations around transitioning classroom pedagogy online and camera setting standards offer additional opportunities for teachers to lead. The pandemic exacerbated social ills that experts already knew existed. Recent social uprisings further highlight racial policy that perpetuate systematic inequalities infecting all of our government, private and public institutions. At its core, Social Emotional Learning is about relationship building and responding to student adversity in the most fair, supportive and constructive way available. Creating space for cultural expression and integration into the curriculum provide ample opportunities for learning. One of the most positive findings from the survey was that sixty percent (60%) of the students surveyed expressed confidence in school district leadership to make the right decisions to manage through this crisis. Massachusetts is a leader in Education and Healthcare because of its history in excellence and achievement, and its scholarly approach to problem solving. School leadership that we have observed or been in communication with are exploring every possibility to reopen schools with a focus on school health and safety. The only constituent largely ignored in the process were the students themselves, until now. A good school mission and vision begins and ends with its students. Diversity and inclusion is usually paramount to student success in these cornerstone statements as well. Student voice, engagement and representation are all valued. The absence of students' voices from this

conversation speaks volumes. Every other stakeholder has had a say, except for who is impacted most. The governor has spoken, school districts have spoken, parents have spoken. This is the first survey targeting students regarding the reopening of schools in this pandemic environment. The results offer decision makers an opportunity to show up. The U.S. News published an article in 2016 titled, “Being Black Is Bad for Your Health.” In an attempt to illustrate the wide disparities within healthcare systems they proclaimed that, “researchers have coined a term – "excess deaths" – to explain the sad fact that if blacks and whites had the same mortality rate, nearly 100,000 fewer black people would die each year in the United States.” It has been well established that health disparities disproportionately impact communities of color. The fact that more had not been done prior to the pandemic to eradicate racial policy within the healthcare system is a disservice to the community it is sworn to serve. A recent report from the CDC found that Black and Hispanic children were more likely to be hospitalized due to coronavirus than White children. The same report found Hispanic children were hospitalized for coronavirus at the highest rate, sixteen percent (16%) per 100,000 people, followed by Black children at eleven percent (11%) per 100,000. In contrast, White children were hospitalized at a rate of two percent (2%) per 100,000. Insisting that students in communities of color attend classes where districts are unable to adhere to the recommendations made by the CDC is thoughtless. It would be irresponsible to send any student into a school environment that by design is not safe. Experts predict a rise in the coronavirus affection rate and students in grade 6-12 are the most capable of and most likely to benefit from working remotely. We recommend that school districts institute the following policy: return to school remotely until January 2021 when schools should transition to a hybrid model with a buddy system to assist with continuity (SeeAppendix: B). While the funding of any initiative or its components remain a large uncertainty for many support programs, this survey and the positive response received concerning student needs have solidified Roulhac Enterprises' appreciation of the capabilities of state associations to conduct institutional assessments. The survey made clear that the work to be done by school districts throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with regard to racial disparities is important and arduous. Student support programs are most effective when they are designed with the goal of building authentic relationships with students and families and responding to their needs. Our hope is that this survey leads school districts to our conclusion that social emotional learning is a leading model for a return to school. DISCLOSURE This survey was constructed to serve as a baseline and presents a snapshot of the student voice for public and official consumption. There is information that the survey did not uncover in which future surveys may be able to reveal. The survey did not ask details about a gap year, special education, nor did it ask for detail as to why answers were chosen. For example, a key

component to building relationships is an understanding of why an individual makes the choices he or she does. Systems surveyed were not asked about their prioritization or how their goals inform their priorities. As suggested in the findings, students use a range of qualifiers to make a determination. The goals and metrics defined by an educational institution's plan are expected to be equally diverse.

Appendix A: SURVEY QUESTIONS 8. How worried are you about the impact of coronavirus on you personally? 9. How worried are you about the impact of coronavirus on school? 10. How easy or difficult is it for you to work from home? 11. What are the TOP THREE biggest challenges you are currently facing while working remotely? 12. Thinking about your current remote learning arrangements, how long is this something you could comfortably maintain? 13. How confident are you in your school district's leadership team to make the right decisions to manage through this crisis? 14. What school district is your school in?

Appendix B: HYBRID MODEL (The buddy system is recommended for grades 6-12)

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Hourly schedule will vary by school district. This model represents a hybrid schedule with a buddy component. Classroom sizes are reduced for distancing. The buddy component pairs classmates who are in-school on alternate days to better capture learning the material. In-person classes will be streamed live (for viewing only) and recorded for the cohort of students learning remotely that day. Assignments will be made available electronically for all students. Teachers should hold normal office hours and be available remotely and in person. Health issues will be resolved on an individual basis.

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Appendix C: SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICS Q7 What school district is your school in? Answered: 138 Skipped: 20

# RESPONSES DATE 1 Tewksbury Public Schools 8/8/2020 2:01 PM 2 Fall River Public Schools 8/8/2020 4:12 AM 3 Chicopee Public Schools 8/7/2020 8:38 PM 4 Chicopee Public Schools 8/7/2020 1:05 PM 5 Lawrence Public Schools 8/7/2020 12:47 PM 6 Chicopee Public Schools 8/7/2020 12:39 PM 7 8/7/2020 12:34 PM 8 Chicopee Public Schools 8/7/2020 10:47 AM 9 Chicopee Public Schools 8/7/2020 10:29 AM 10 Andover Public Schools 8/7/2020 6:53 AM 11 Haverhill Public Schools 8/7/2020 1:29 AM 12 8/6/2020 4:42 PM 13 Hanover Public Schools 8/6/2020 4:27 PM 14 8/6/2020 12:24 PM 15 Marlborough Public Schools 8/6/2020 12:16 AM 16 Easthampton Public Schools 8/4/2020 11:18 PM 17 Holbrook Public Schools 8/4/2020 9:06 PM 18 Acton/Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools 8/4/2020 8:47 PM 19 Chicopee Public Schools 8/4/2020 8:44 PM 20 West Springfield Public Schools 8/4/2020 6:34 PM 21 Chicopee Public Schools 8/4/2020 3:34 PM 22 Whitman Hanson Regional School District 8/4/2020 2:22 PM 23 Nauset Public Schools 8/4/2020 1:37 PM 24 West Springfield Public Schools 8/4/2020 11:35 AM 25 Chicopee Public Schools 8/4/2020 11:22 AM 26 Concord-Carlisle High School 8/4/2020 10:05 AM 27 Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical 8/4/2020 5:27 AM 28 Chicopee Public Schools 8/3/2020 10:39 PM 29 Beverly Public Schools 8/3/2020 8:43 PM 30 Chicopee Public Schools 8/3/2020 8:20 PM 31 Northborough-Southborough Public Schools 8/3/2020 7:22 PM 32 Nauset Public Schools 8/3/2020 6:48 PM 33 Chicopee Public Schools 8/3/2020 5:42 PM 34 Springfield Public Schools 8/3/2020 5:24 PM 35 Chicopee Public Schools 8/3/2020 4:44 PM 36 Chicopee/fairview Public Schools 8/3/2020 4:43 PM

37 Chicopee Public Schools 8/3/2020 4:18 PM

38 Spencer East brookfield Regional School District 8/3/2020 4:08 PM 39 Springfield Public Schools 8/3/2020 3:32 PM 40 Sturbridge Public Schools 8/3/2020 1:50 PM 41 Tyngsboro Public Schools 8/3/2020 12:44 PM 42 Springfield Public Schools 8/3/2020 11:14 AM 43 Pioneer Valley Regional School District 8/3/2020 9:10 AM 44 Norwood Public Schools 8/3/2020 8:56 AM 45 Norwood Public Schools 8/2/2020 9:57 PM 46 Norwood Public Schools 8/2/2020 9:56 PM 47 Sturgis Charter School 8/2/2020 12:54 PM 48 Dedham Public Schools 8/2/2020 10:37 AM 49 Boston Public Schools 8/2/2020 7:26 AM 50 Lowell High School 8/1/2020 2:10 PM 51 Charlton Regional School District (Baypath RVHS) 8/1/2020 12:08 PM 52 Athol Royalston regional school district 8/1/2020 9:46 AM 53 Boston Public Schools 8/1/2020 2:45 AM 54 Boston Public Schools 7/31/2020 4:15 PM 55 Chicopee Public Schools 7/31/2020 4:14 PM 56 Boston Public Schools 7/31/2020 3:27 PM 57 Whitman Hanson Regional School District 7/31/2020 1:32 PM 58 Swampscott Public Schools 7/31/2020 12:48 PM 59 Dracut Public Schools 7/31/2020 12:30 PM 60 Swampscott Public Schools 7/31/2020 9:14 AM 61 Salem Public Schools 7/31/2020 7:23 AM 62 Lynn Public Schools 7/31/2020 6:16 AM 63 Lynn Public Schools 7/31/2020 5:51 AM 64 Abington Public Schools 7/31/2020 12:10 AM 65 Maynard Public Schools 7/30/2020 11:10 PM 66 Swampscott Public Schools 7/30/2020 9:37 PM 67 Swampscott High School 7/30/2020 9:18 PM 68 Lynn Public Schools 7/30/2020 8:10 PM 69 Danvers Public Schools - Essex Tech 7/30/2020 7:54 PM 70 Lynn Public Schools 7/30/2020 7:40 PM 71 Swampscott Public Schools 7/30/2020 5:51 PM 72 Swampscott Public Schools 7/30/2020 5:36 PM 73 Dracut Public Schools 7/30/2020 5:29 PM 74 7/30/2020 4:28 PM 75 Boston Public Schools 7/30/2020 3:45 PM

76 Dracut Public Schools 7/30/2020 2:30 PM 77 Lynn Public Schools 7/30/2020 2:18 PM

78 Boston Public Schools 7/30/2020 2:01 PM 79 Dracut Public Schools 7/30/2020 1:38 PM 80 Boston Public Schools 7/30/2020 1:16 PM 81 Lynn Public Schools 7/30/2020 1:03 PM 82 Fairhaven Public Schools 7/30/2020 12:19 PM 83 Lee Public Schools 7/30/2020 9:55 AM 84 Bristol County 7/30/2020 8:07 AM 85 Boston Public Schools 7/30/2020 2:50 AM 86 Boston Public Schools 7/30/2020 12:07 AM 87 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 11:41 PM 88 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 6:41 PM 89 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 6:21 PM 90 Arlington Public Schools 7/29/2020 5:44 PM 91 7/29/2020 4:05 PM 92 Concord-Carlisle Regional 7/29/2020 3:21 PM 93 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 2:58 PM 94 Dedham Public Schools 7/29/2020 2:30 PM 95 Dedham public schools 7/29/2020 2:21 PM 96 Dedham Public Schools 7/29/2020 2:01 PM 97 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 1:55 PM 98 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 1:31 PM 99 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 1:18 PM 100 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 1:09 PM 101 Concord-Carlisle Regional School District 7/29/2020 1:09 PM 102 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 1:06 PM 103 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 1:04 PM 104 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 12:36 PM 105 Easton Public Schools 7/29/2020 12:30 PM 106 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 12:13 PM 107 Southeastern Regional Voc Tech 7/29/2020 12:11 PM 108 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 12:01 PM 109 Brockton Public /Southeastern Regional /Bridgewater State 7/29/2020 11:57 AM 110 Dedham Public Schools 7/29/2020 11:21 AM 111 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 11:07 AM 112 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:59 AM 113 Dedham Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:52 AM

114 South Shore Voc Tech 7/29/2020 10:47 AM 115 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:28 AM 116 Dedham Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:15 AM 117 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:14 AM 118 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:13 AM 119 Dedham Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:12 AM

120 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 10:03 AM 121 Tri County Franklin MA 7/29/2020 9:57 AM 122 Acton Boxborough 7/29/2020 9:15 AM 123 Boston Public Schools 7/29/2020 5:55 AM 124 Needham Public Schools 7/28/2020 11:05 PM 125 Boston Public Schools 7/28/2020 10:44 PM 126 Boston Public Schools 7/28/2020 10:16 PM 127 Cambridge Public Schools 7/28/2020 10:00 PM 128 Attleboro Public Schools 7/28/2020 9:33 PM 129 Easton Public Schools 7/28/2020 9:13 PM 130 Boston Public Schools 7/28/2020 9:09 PM 131 Newton Public Schools 7/28/2020 9:07 PM 132 Boston Public Schools 7/28/2020 8:54 PM 133 Cambridge Public Schools 7/28/2020 8:38 PM 134 Boston Public Schools 7/28/2020 8:36 PM 135 Concord Carlisle Regional 7/28/2020 8:32 PM 136 Boston - Private School 7/28/2020 8:18 PM 137 Boston - Private School 7/28/2020 7:32 PM 138 Boston Public Schools 7/28/2020 6:56 PM